An escalator in which a handrail is guided over an upper driving deflecting wheel and a lower free-running deflecting wheel has become known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,550. The handrail is supported in its central portion by the deflecting wheel. The handrail side portions not supported by the deflecting wheel, slide on a pair of L-shaped profile members. The deflecting wheel is mounted on an axle supported at the escalator base.
A disadvantage of the known equipment is that, due to the shape of L-section profile members for the handrail, and the shape and size of the deflecting wheel and its support mounting upon the escalator base, relatively large structures are required for incorporation into equipment. The resulting escalator or walkway has a cumbersome appearance and offers few possibilities for an attractive external appearance.